Sanofi: Nasacort first nasal corticosteroid available without a prescription

PARIS — Allergy sufferers will have a new treatment option available to them by the spring allergy season. Sanofi on Friday announced that the Food and Drug Administration approved Nasacort Allergy 24HR nasal spray (triamcinolone intranasal) as an over-the-counter treatment for seasonal and year-round nasal allergies in adults and children 2 years of age and older. 

Nasacort is the first and only nasal corticosteroid to be available without a prescription and will be marketed by Sanofi's consumer healthcare division, Chattem.

This makes Chattem the new allergy powerhouse. The company already fields Allegra, and for the 52 weeks ended July 14, Allegra products generated more than $335 million in revenue across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI. 

"[Chattem's] Allegra is already neck-and-neck with Claritin," noted Laura Mahecha, industry manager at Kline Healthcare. But the nasal format is not expected to become as big as the competing allergy tablets, including Allegra, she said, because tablets are perceived to be a preferred delivery form among consumers. 

That would cap Nasacort's potential at around $200 million. "[But] each person's allergies are different," she said. "There may be a whole group of people [whose allergies respond] better to the nasal steroids."

Together with Allegra, Chattem's OTC allergy portfolio would approach $450 million in annual sales if sales of Nasacort reached even $100 million in sales. 

Nasacort is the only single active ingredient OTC medicine that relieves the full range of nasal allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion, for 24 hours with a single daily dose, Sanofi asserted. 

Chattem anticipates that Nasacort will be available in spring 2014.